I love Tchaikovsky more than most things in the world. There's something so richly melancholic about his intrinsically Russian music - I really really more than anything in the world wish I could be Russian when I hear any of his work - especially the vocal pieces; I have a particular soft spot for his Lullaby and At the Ball. Eugene Onegin was/is still, a total masterpiece; one which I can't fault in any way...especially when we have such a brilliant interpreter of Tatyana, and Russian music as a whole; Renée Fleming (yes...I may be a little bit obsessed...)
Anyway, I bought her CD 'Homage; the Age of the Diva' just the other day, and needless to say, skipped ahead straight to the Tchaikovsky - this little gem, 'Pochudilis mne budto golosa' from The Oprichnik...which I don't know at all...
From what I can tell from my sparse research, the Oprichnik were like mafia men/secret police for Ivan the Terrible in the 16th Century...carried such fashionable objects such as brooms and severed dogs heads...rode around on massive black horses in huge black cloaks...basically tortured everyone in the name of Ivan the Terrible...and all the time attempting to uphold the fact that they thought they were a bit like monks. As soon as Ivan realised he'd made a massive error, he disbanded these guys and made it punishable by death to ever mention it again. Way to end the terror there, Ivan, good plan. Anyway, seems to me an odd basis for a plot, even by operatic standards. Though, it does actually follow characters, set within this strange context; as opposed to Tchaikovsky being centuries ahead of his time and thinking 'hmm I know, I'll do a bit of docu-drama!'.
Anyway, legend has it that Mr Pyotr was largely displeased with the opera when he was getting going. In letters he was found to have said "I've been terribly lazy of late; the opera is stuck at the first chorus", that he'd "only written a couple of scenes". It seems to me though, procrastination whilst writing an opera is SO much grander then procrastination whilst...say...writing an essay. I mean, the guy's writing an OPERA - he deserves a break once in a while don't you think?!
So, Nataliya's Aria from this collection is beautiful. To be honest, I don't know the context of the piece at all, I only have a translation...so it's quite difficult to place it and make judgements about it - but I'll give it a go all the same.
The opening string melody (set under Nataliya's slight recitative section, where she questions whether she hears the sound of footsteps) for some bizarre reason makes me think thats she's escaped outside of a soirée somewhere, or that she's on the outside of some social breakdown...I think it must be the slightly distant style of the strings...and the text explaining how she "all alone" looking for a "glimpse" of her love. However, lets face it, looking at the history of the Oprichniks, something tells me there aren't going to be any lovely parties happening - it's just a strange interpretation I guess...I can't wait to see how completely wrong it is :) However, the pain which "stings [her] heart" really become obvious with the desperately soaring vocal line, perfectly displaying her anguish. The string accompaniment too, is a perfect example of Tchaikovsky's melancholic style. My absolute favorite part of the whole aria, is when the desperate searching for this "glimpse", which she prays to come "quickly"(nicely painted with the impatient movement forward of the music, like the thoughts rushing around in her head) is broken. What follows is a stunning prayer like lament - begging the wind to "carry [her] love back to her". It's like the musical equivalent of a roller-coaster. At the beginning, you're going down the steep drops, round the corners, feeling your stomach up in your throat. Then the string accompaniment rhythmically pulses and slows down as you reach the steep climb...you can feel the carriage pulling foward...then you reach the perfect moment at the top, when the momentum just carries you over the curve, into no-bars-held emotional free fall. The movement of this aria is one of the most heard rending I've heard - it's not only the notes that do it for me.
The thing as a whole is heartbreaking, and I love it, of course. There's nothing quite like Russian music, and it's certainly a favorite...I may explore some more...watch this space :)
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